At the Timber in Construction (TiC) Summit in London on 27 February, Environment Minister Mary Creagh announced plans to increase the use of timber in construction to boost the domestic timber industry, economic growth, rural jobs and housebuilding targets. Delivering on its Plan for Change, the government plan to construct 1.5 million sustainable and affordable homes, establish a low-waste circular construction sector, and boost investment in domestic timber and wood-processing supply chains. Minister Creagh launched an updated version of the Timber in Construction Roadmap that was first published in 2023.
The new Timber in Construction Roadmap outlines more ambitious Government priorities and key actions including:
- Encouraging the use of sustainable, low carbon building materials, and ensuring carbon emissions are considering during the design, construction and use of buildings
- Fulfilling the Government’s commitment to delivering 1.5m homes this Parliament by using Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) including the use of timber, to boost productivity in housebuilding and deliver high quality, energy efficient new homes
- Creating a circular economy by championing timber’s potential for a clean growth future – supporting the construction sector to use the most sustainable, low carbon materials and construction techniques
- Accelerating economic growth by creating new and diverse green jobs in the productive forestry and timber sectors, as well as stimulating further investment into domestic timber and wood processing supply chains
These actions will complement existing initiatives, including the promotion of timber as a construction material, enhancing skills and capacity throughout the supply chain, and increasing the supply of sustainable timber products.
The Institute’s Technical Policy Manager, Caroline Harrison MICFor, said:
“It’s great to see that the Timber in Construction Roadmap has been launched. We must propel forestry production in England to ensure timber security, reduce our dependence on imports, and address the nature crisis but we will need the people, with the right skills, to deliver this. The Institute of Chartered Foresters is ready to rise to the challenge.”
